In a statement, Oh said, "It's been a great privilege to play the character of Cristina Yang on GA and I am both sad and excited to see where this, her final season will take her. It was an emotional and deeply creative decision for me and I feel fully supported by Shonda and the writers. It's so rare in an actor's life to be able to explore and grow a character so fully, so completely."

In a statement of her own, series creator Shonda Rhimes said, "This year is going to be bittersweet for us -- we're both going to savor every moment of Cristina Yang and then we're going to give her the exit she deserves."

With Oh's departure at the end of the upcoming season, that will leave just four members of the show's original cast still patrolling the halls of Seattle Grace Hospital: Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers and Patrick Dempsey.

With so many people out the door of the aging drama, one may wonder just how much life "Grey's Anatomy" has in it. However, a network spokesperson said, "It’s our intention to have 'Grey's' on the air for many years to come, with as many of the original cast as possible."